


Coming Home

by dandelionlily



Category: Naruto
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-14
Updated: 2014-07-14
Packaged: 2018-02-08 19:13:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1952814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dandelionlily/pseuds/dandelionlily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just after the Chunin trials, Sasuke leaves the village to find his brother and exact revenge. Now it's time for him to return home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coming Home

**Author's Note:**

> Splits from cannon just before the end of the Chunin trials.

I lie on my back, gasping for breath and trying to ignore the sharp pain at each inhalation. Broken ribs, at least two. The giant trees of the Secret Forest arch high over my head, comfortingly familiar. There were many times when, exhausted by Kakashi-sensei’s tasks or sparring with Naruto or my own grueling training regimen, I would rest on my back in this very forest. Ironic, that after four years of chasing the least sign of my family’s destroyer across nations, my journey ends so near where it began.

 I hear the shifting of rocks over to my left and unwillingly turn my head. There is movement inside the crater. It seems I didn’t manage to cremate my brother with that last fireball; he must have used his chakra to bury himself. I’m too exhausted to even feel disappointed when the murderous bastard crawls out of the pit, caked with dirt. He staggers to his feet and trudges, step by inevitable step, toward me. His left side is severely burned, his hair and sleeve flaking away to reveal blistered and charred flesh.

 As he approaches, the fingers of my right hand twitch toward my belt before I remember that I’ve thrown all of my shiruken already. As has my brother. We’ve both used up everything in this final fight: weapons, chakra, skills, physical endurance, and our very lives. We’re weak shadows of the ninja we were last night. I can’t stand, and my brother is little better, stumbling on smooth ground. As I watch him, the light dims. Damn it, I’m beginning to pass out. Blood loss. I can’t feel pain from the gaping stomach wound anymore. Just cold. I know I’m bleeding out, that I need to stop my life from soaking into the forest floor, but I’m too tired. I just want it to be over so that I can finally rest.

 “Pathetic,” my brother sneers, looming above me. “Fifteen years you’ve been seeking revenge, only to fail.” A horrible rictus grin stretches his lips. “You aren’t worthy of the Uchiha name.”

 I can’t feel anything. No rage, no hatred, no fear of death or failure. They have been with me for so long that without them, I feel hollow. Cold. Soon, I can rest.

 “And now, my dear Sasuke, you d--” he begins before choking and falling to his hands and knees, coughing uncontrollably. He coughs up blood, far too much blood. Severe internal injuries. He, too, is bleeding to death, the blood filling his lungs. I feel no joy, no triumph, but as my eyes close I feel a strange lightness. My dream, my revenge, is fulfilled.

 “Finally.” For a moment I am not sure if the word, whispered against my cheek, is his or my own. He continues with a strained gentleness I have never heard before, “I’ve been waiting for so long. I’ve been waiting for you... little brother.” He collapses on top of me, crushing my chest. His head comes to rest on my left breast, just under my chin, as if he is listening to my heartbeat. The only sound is our labored breathing, until I realize that his has stopped.

 It’s finally over. Everything’s finished. There’s no reason to keep fighting, to keep hurting. So tired, and so cold...

 “Sasuke, you coward! You gonna just give up and die? If you make Sakura cry, I’ll follow you into the afterlife and kick your butt! Believe it!”

 Naruto, you hyperactive knucklehead, leave me alone. I’m tired, and I’m dying...

 It doesn’t seem at all strange to me that, with my eyes closed, I can still see him, exactly as I remember him from our first day with Kakashi-sensei. “Come on, coward! You gonna give up and die now? After everything we’ve been through? You gonna admit that I’m better’n you?”

 You’re not better than me.

 “Oh yeah? Prove it.”

 I push off the deadweight of my older brother and somehow crawl to my feet, pressing my good hand to the wound, trying to keep some of my blood and guts inside my body.

 I don’t know how long I walk, stumbling after the voice that is in turns threatening and cajoling, insulting and encouraging. Each time I close my eyes he is there, just a few paces ahead of me, a cocky fourteen-year old in that outrageous orange outfit. Each time I open my eyes he’s gone, but his voice beckons from just beyond the next tree.

 As even my last dregs of strength fail me, he appears before my open eyes as well. He’s taller, and he’s wearing a somber blue ninja suit. “Sasuke?” he says in disbelief. His voice is lower too. I don’t realize I’m falling until he’s caught me, holding me against his chest and applying pressure to my stomach wound. “Sasuke, what’s happened to you? Where have you been?”

 Naruto, you bastard, you pestered and nagged me until I came all the way here. Won’t you let me rest now?

 As my vision finally darkens, I hear the man whisper, “Don’t you dare die on me, Sasuke. You die in my arms again, I’ll kill you myself, stubborn bastard!” I smile. I feel warm again.

 

 

The first thing I see when I open my eyes is Naruto, which seems right. He’s changed in the past two years. His hair is longer, though it still sticks up in ridiculous blond spikes. His chin, freshly shaven, is more stubbornly square. His body is starting to catch up to his growth spurt, broadening into a square, muscular frame. His large hands are steady and capable, square-fingered and no longer delicate. He’s abandoned his shockingly orange costume for a more traditional navy blue outfit. However, the greatest difference between the knucklehead I knew two years ago and this man is the open expression of concern he turns towards me. Naruto the class clown never showed anything but bravado and laughter.

“Water?” he offers, holding a cup to my lips without waiting for an answer. He curls an arm around my shoulders, slowly propping me up into a sitting position. Blocking out the pain from my ribs, I gulp down the entire cup.

To prevent him from asking about how I got into such a pitiful state, I ask lightly,“So, knucklehead, are you Hokage yet?”

“Getting there,” he says with his characteristic confidence. “And you? Did you fulfill your dream?”

The words catch in my throat. I nod sharply and manage, “It’s over.” I wonder if I’ll ever be able to explain that fulfilling my dream had not made me happy.

“Good.” I realize with relief that I will not need to explain. Not to him. Naruto, too, knows how hollow revenge can be. He eases me back into a reclining position. “What now?”

“I don’t know.”

“Really? The great Sasuke has no plan?”

“It doesn’t really matter, does it? It’s over, Naruto. I killed my...  He’s dead, and now... I guess I’ll keep moving. There’s really nothing left for me here.” Here, or anywhere else. I’ve spent so long being the Uchiha family’s avenger, I don’t know if I can be anything else.

I see pained concern flash across his expression before he forces his tone to be casual. “There are still plenty of challenges here in Konoha village. You could compete to prove you’re the best ninja of all the villages. You could go on the most dangerous and adventurous missions. You could even marry one of your drooling fangirls in the village and start raising lots of little Sasuke Jr’s." 

“Not likely. I plan to be the last of the Uchiha Clan.” I’m not sure why I said that, especially when Naruto is already looking so worried, but it’s true. I don’t want to bring any children into the world if they will be afflicted with my Kekkai Genkai. Enough of the cursed blood of the Uchiha clan has been spilled already. Besides, I can’t imagine being shackled to a wife and child; I’m better off alone. I always have been. 

“Hey, it’s your decision.” Naruto takes a breath and glances away before forcing out, “Or, y’know, you could become Hokage.”

My jaw drops. “WHAT?” I push myself into a sitting position so that I can see his eyes. Surprisingly, I manage it without collapsing from the pain: though my ribs send up a twinge of protest, my stomach wound doesn’t bother me much, and my left hand is bandaged so well that I can’t move any of my fingers. Considering how many bones I smashed in that hand, it would be stupid to try.

“If you wanted to, I’m sure you could be Hokage. You’re strong, smart and serious. People naturally follow you, and it’s well known that the Uchiha Clan has always been the most powerful family in our village. You-- you’d be a good Hokage.”

He’s refusing to look at me so I take a calming breath and say, “Naruto, come over here.” He obeys, reaching to check on my belly wound. When I grab the front of his collar and jerk, he barely avoids falling on top of me, which would certainly have been painful. His mouth is open, and he’s staring, but at least he’s looking at me. I don’t want to have to say this twice. “You hyperactive knucklehead, don’t you ever say something that stupid again. YOU are going to be the next Hokage, understand?” I give him a shake to emphasize my words. “You. And you’re going to be the greatest Hokage this village has ever seen, right?”

“Sasuke, it’s not that easy--”

“Don’t give me that crap. It’s your dream, Naruto. If you don’t go after it with everything you’ve got, I’ll kick your ass. The next Hokage of Konoha Village is going to be you, got it?”

The tension eases out of him. “You’d better believe it,” he says with a slight grin. If his eyes look a little wet, I charitably refuse to notice.

“Now that we’ve gotten that settled, get me some food! I feel like I haven’t eaten in a week!”

“You haven’t. You’ve been asleep for six days.”

“Oh.” Six days?

“The two of us have been taking turns watching over you. I’ll go get something for you to eat, and I’ll let Sakura know you’re awake.”

He’s gone before I can suggest that Sakura’s ardent enthusiasm for all things Sasuke might be the worst possible thing for my health. Kakashi slouches in from an adjoining room. His sleepy expression would suggest that he was awoken from an afternoon nap. On the other hand, there are few times when Kakashi doesn’t look like he’s half-asleep.

“Kakashi-sensei,” I greet, nodding to him and attempting to sit up so I don’t look as weak as I feel.

“Kakashi-san will do, Sasuke-kun. I’m not your sensei anymore. Oh, and don’t move around too much. Sakura will skin us both if you rip any of her stitches.”

“Her stitches? Why didn’t one of the medics fix me up?" 

“That’s right, you left before Sakura started her medical training, didn’t you?” 

“Sakura is a medic?” Shit, that means Sakura has seen me naked! Probably molested me while I was unconscious, too. That girl has always been far too focused on the wrong things, namely me. Will it ever dawn on her that I don’t find any of the village girls interesting? 

A woman’s voice calls from outside, “No need to sound so shocked, Sasuke. Especially since I sewed you back together when you didn’t have enough blood left in you to fill a sake cup.” Sakura flings open the door and poses for a moment, showing off her new bag marked clearly as a medical kit. “You need to stay lying down. I’m serious. If you need to pee, use the bedpan, because I am ordering you to stay in bed. Naruto!”

“Yes, Sakura?” he answers, looking so meek that I nearly start laughing, except that would really tear a stitch.

“Give me the bandages, and fetch the antiseptic. Kakashi-san, help me with Sasuke’s bandages.” I get in Sakura’s way by trying to ensure that she doesn’t remove my shorts. She rolls her eyes. “Sasuke, as a medic, I’ve seen the privates of half the men in the village. Trust me, you’re nothing special.” Naruto snickers at my horrified expression. “You’ve got nothing to brag about, either, Naruto.” He stands mortified, his mouth open to protest. I manage not to laugh out loud, but it’s a close thing. Sakura continues, “Aren’t you supposed to be making broth?”

Naruto grumbles for a minute before saying, “Uh, Sasuke, sorry about this, but you only get broth today.” He gives me a sympathetic wince.

“This idiot,” Sakura says in disbelief, “was going to give you chicken and rice. Chicken and rice! After starving for six days!” My mouth starts watering at the thought. “Your stomach won’t be able to handle anything solid for days. We’ll start you with broth to replenish your fluids and salt to get your body used to food again. If you’re doing well tomorrow, we may start you on mash.” As she chatters nonstop, her hands move crisply through the task of checking my wounds and rebandaging them. I’m forced to admit that she really knows what she’s doing.

Naruto props me up so that I can drink the broth before Sakura shoos him away. “All you’ve done for the past week is hover! Get out of here and do something useful for a change! You too, Kakashi-san. Thank you for all your help, now scram!”

I can’t help but chuckle when the two men obey without protest, but my mirth dies when she holds up a bedpan. “We’ve been doing our best to pour fluids into your mouth while you’ve been asleep, so you’re probably ready to burst. I’ll be in the other room, call me when you’re done.”

“Sakura, I can go outside, I feel fine.”

“No arguing. This is the way it’s going to happen.” 

To my embarrassment, Sakura gets her way. It seems that is what Sakura has come to expect. I learn one source of her newfound confidence when she says baldly, “Sasuke, as you are well aware, I had a crazy crush on you when you left. I just wanted to assure you, that’s over. I’ve found someone else. Someone who likes me back.”

I try to conceal my surprise. Just because Sakura had a crush on me throughout our jonin training doesn’t mean she still does. Obviously she’s matured a great deal during my absence. “It’s Naruto, isn’t it?” I ask, already sure. The way they moved in each other’s space and the physicality of their playful bickering should have made things clear.

“No!” she protests, then blushes. “I mean, not anymore. We were... but that was shortly after you left, and it’s over now. He didn’t really want... it just didn’t work out.”

“Lee?” I guessed.

“Give up, Sasuke, you’re never going to guess, and I can’t tell you yet. My someone isn’t even from this village! We met when I went to the flame village for special training from their only surgeon. He’s getting old, and there’s no one in his village to take over for him. I’ve petitioned to be moved there. So I don’t want anyone finding out about my lover yet, or the committee might decide that my reasons are too selfish.”

“Following love isn’t selfish. At least, it’s not a bad selfishness.” I can’t help grinning at Sakura’s embarrassed happiness. “Just tell him if he hurts you, Naruto and I will make him pay.” 

“I’ll tell my lover you said so. You should get some rest. I’ll be back in a few hours to check on you.”

As she leaves, I ask, “How did Naruto take the news that you’d found someone else?”

She looks confused. “He was fine. We weren’t together, if that’s what you’re thinking. It was fun, but we didn’t...” She bites her bottom lip, as if deciding how much she can reveal without breaking confidence. “Naruto’s been having a hard time since you left. I think he’s realizing that becoming Hokage has little to do with skill, and a lot to do with politics. No matter how hard he tries, no one is going to forget about the fox demon, especially since he broke the seal.”

“Cowards. Naruto becoming Hokage wouldn’t make him more dangerous.”

“Yeah, but fear’s not rational. Besides, you haven’t seen Naruto use the fox’s chakra recently. It’s... huge.  Even I get scared sometimes.”

That doesn’t sound like her at all. “Sakura...” 

She brushes my concern away impatiently. “It doesn’t matter how I feel. Naruto needs a friend, and I can’t be that for him, not anymore. You can. Sasuke, you’re the truest friend he’s ever had. He’s missed you.” She leaves, and I’m relieved. I don’t know what she expects me to do. 

At least now I understand that odd conversation I had with Naruto. No wonder he brought up my family name; with political connections like mine, he would have no trouble fulfilling his dream. He’s right; if I wanted to, I could be next Hokage. The thought isn’t a pleasant one. “Not a people person” is the kindest way to describe my discomfort with others. Frankly, I can’t imagine anything worse than having everyone expect me to solve their problems for them.

 

 

Drifting between wakefulness and dream, I notice a warm body pressing against my back. Arms wrap around me in the complete darkness, and large hands rest below my navel. I arch my back and tilt my head so that the mouth can nibble and lick on the side of my throat, just below my left ear. I can’t surpress my shiver at the tingling feeling from the top of my head to the base of my spine. One hand slides down to fondle my cock, and I gasp, “Please. Touch me, Naruto.” 

My eyes fly open. The patch of moonlight indicates that several hours have passed. A few meters away, Naruto is sprawled on his back on the floor, snoring. He is wearing only boxers, with a blanket tangled around his legs. My eyes automatically trace the line of his muscled legs up to the thin cotton underwear and I can’t help but wonder if he’s changed there, too, since we last went to the baths together. I use my pillow to try to stifle the fire in my cheeks.

That I dreamed about a man surprises me not at all. Even before graduating, I knew that the girls in my class interested me far less than the strongest men in the village; my first sexual dream was about Kakashi-sensei. Dreaming about Naruto is just because we’re living together at the moment; it doesn’t mean anything. I force away my anxiety with long practice, but forcing down my arousal is more difficult. How long has it been since I attended to my sexual needs? As children, we learned that sexual energy, was one of the components of chakra and that, like mental and physical demands, sexual desires should be neither completely sated nor denied, but I’ve neglected that part of my training.

Not here, though. Not now, when the focus of my thoughts is the one changing my sheets and clothing. I’m certain he wouldn’t mention it; even as a young man, Naruto demonstrated surprising tact in certain areas despite his general bluntness. Still, he would notice, and I would know it. Instead, I lie perfectly still and practice the breathing exercises that ensure deep, dreamless sleep, trying to ignore Naruto’s soft snores.

 

 

“Aaah. If there’s a heaven, it definitely has hot springs,” Naruto moans, easing himself further into the steaming water. “C’mon, Sasuke, mineral springs have healing properties.”

“Mm-hmm,” I agree, dipping a toe into the scalding water and trying to decide if it’s too late to back out. “Just like rabbit stew, right? How did you ever get Sakura to agree to that so soon after her ‘broth is the best medicine’ lecture?”

“I reminded her that you had lost a lot of blood, and to replace the... um... important stuff in blood, you should definitely be eating rabbit. And I did cook it until it was tender.”

“No complaints here. Best meal I’ve had in months.” It’s been a week since I woke in the house Naruto splits with Kakashi. Naruto accepted me as a roommate with surprising grace, cooking and caring for me without complaint. Well, until he complained this morning that I stank from not bathing and convinced Sakura that a trip to the hot springs was just what I needed. Now that my toes are numb to the heat, I’m willing to risk dunking the whole foot. Damn, it’s hot! How is Naruto okay with sitting in near-boiling water? He suddenly splashes me, and I jump back.

Naruto cracks up. “You look like a cat trying to cross a river!” he guffaws. “C’mon, you wuss, get in here.”

“Naruto, what the hell do you think you’re-- Hey! Let go of my foot!” I yell, struggling to pull away without falling. He jerks me forward, and I brace myself to fall face-first into the too-shallow, rocky pool.

Naruto just laughs and catches me, hefting me as if I weigh less than Sakura. I guess I hadn’t realized how strong he’s become. I only put up a token struggle, not wanting him to drop me, as he lowers me into the water. When the initial pain and pins-and-needles subside, I can feel my body turning into jelly. “Mmmm,” I moan helplessly.

“Good?”

“Amazing,” I admit. I stretch my arms up, reveling in the movement until my scar twinges. “Unh.”

 “You okay?” Naruto is right there, hovering over me. Knowing instinctively what is wrong, he runs a gentle hand down my torso, brushing over the rope-like scar. He lets his hand rest there, just below my ribs. “How did you get this one?”

“A large, spiral shiruken.” I watch him closely, but I don’t see any pity in his expression. “I thought I’d dodged it, but he threw it at an angle.”

“It’s flight path curved,” he suggests, nodding slightly. He indicates a pale mark on his arm. “Lee nailed me with one over a year ago, before I stopped doing thrown-weapons sparring with him. He just moves too damn fast.” His grimace makes his envy of Lee’s taijutsu obvious.

I grin. “So brow-boy recovered, eh? I knew those doctor’s who said he wouldn’t were full of crap.”

“Or rather, they didn’t know the determination of the unibrow,” Naruto agrees. “Although... it’s not a complete recovery. The lotus of Konoha can only bloom a few more times before the strain kills him, and he’ll never be able to pass the third gate again.” His fingers trace the tender scar below my ribs with remarkable tenderness and I barely suppress a shiver. “We were such impulsive kids. Looking back, there are so many times we nearly killed ourselves because we were just too damn stubborn. It’s amazing we survived.”

“As I recall, you were the one who said you fought best with a handicap,” I retort, trying to lighten the mood.

“Oh, and who was it who didn’t use any chakra in the Chunin preliminaries because you wouldn’t wait until Kakashi had sealed the curse mark?”

“I was fine,” I remind him.

“Bullshit. You spent days unconscious in the hospital while Orochimaru’s thugs tried to kill you!”

“That was a long time ago,” I growl, and look away to tell him the discussion has ended.

I don’t realize he moved until I feel him breathe into my ear, “Because you’d never rashly risk you life now, right?” His closeness and the rarity of a gentle touch makes my breath catch, even though I try to remember that this is just Naruto, just a good friend. A friend whose right hand rests on my stomach while the left traces light patterns over my healing ribs. Squirming away from the ticklish sensation, I manage to push myself into his embrace until I’m halfway sitting on his lap.

“Naruto!” I protest, my voice breaking embarrassingly. “What are you do-mmph!” The moment I turn my head, he seals his lips over mine. His tongue pushes immediately into my mouth, exploring and tasting. Shit, I haven’t ever - not with anyone - and it’s overwhelming. I hang onto his upper arms, surprised by the firmness of his biceps. One of his hands teases the short hairs at the back of my neck before cradling my head near the base of the spine, supporting my weight as I lean back, turning my face away to break the kiss. I can’t meet the eyes of one of the few I have ever called friend. How did he figure it out? Did I ever, in words or actions, hint at the role Naruto sometimes played in my dreams?

The hands pull away abruptly. “I didn’t mean to... I’m sorry, Sasuke. It got out of control, but I won’t, ever again...”

I look up into a face as flushed as mine; he won’t look in my direction. He has a goofy smile plastered on his face, but from this close I can see the tiny tremble in his lower lip and the bobbing of his adam’s apple as he tries to swallow. He tries to stand, but I won’t let him go. “Naruto,” I growl in a low voice.

As soon as he turns his head towards me, I seize handfuls of his spiked hair and drag him down for another kiss. I press our lips together, not really knowing what to do until he relaxes beneath me and sucks my tongue into his mouth. I trace over his sharp canines and explore the roof of his mouth, delighting in his moans humming between us. He tastes like pine, thunder, and something untamable and wild. In some undefinable way, he tastes like home.


End file.
